Stranger in Me
by shuusetsu
Summary: Usami Akihiko was almost done with his latest novel when he met an accident. Instead of going either heaven or hell, he found himself stuck in a high school boy's body. Takahashi Misaki's.
1. Chapter 1

konnichi wa! this fic is going to be a short fic perhaps 5 to 7 chapters. exploring on humor perhaps...hehethe story is already done in my head. i just need to squeeze them into my time so i can type them.^^ enjoy^^

* * *

**。。。。****Fountain Pen。。。。**

* * *

Despite the comfortable atmosphere of his classroom since it was already the Spring season, Takahashi Misaki, eighteen years-old, was having the worst mock exams in his life. He glanced around him and then focused his gaze back into his English test paper. Scratching the other side of his pencil at the side of his head, Misaki frowned.

"I can't believe this. That's a very easy question even a kindergarten could probably answer that. I never knew your level of English is so poor. I feel so bad for the future of Japan," Misaki heard inside his mind.

The teen grimaced at the voice ringing inside his head rendering him more unfocused to the exam at hand.

"Will you leave me alone in peace please? I can't concentrate!" Misaki hissed in between greeted teeth. He was careful not to make any scene or he might be viewed as someone who has gone out of his mind.

"Concentrate? Ho-let's see how far your concentration can take you...which I doubt if..." the voice continued.

"I said shut the hell up!"

All heads raised and turned to the boy sitting at the last row near the windows, obvious irritation at the distraction created. A man in suit stood mightily at Misaki's table and grinned his smile Misaki find to be the creepiest.

"Takahashi-kun, what did I say about keeping quiet during exams?"

Bowing frantically, Misaki felt like wanting to scream even more as he continuiosly heard the ringing of the man's laughter inside his head.

"S-sorry Mino-sensei..."

After the teacher left, Misaki scowled at his paper which was mostly still empty.

"This is your fault. Shut up. Shut up! I am so going to fail this exam because I can't study properly because of you," Misaki gritted to himself.

There was silence. And then Misaki heard a "hmmmmm" as if the voice inside his head was thinking. "Fine, let me help you with this English exam I feel so sorry for your brother working so hard and your level is still as low as a gradeschooler..."

* * *

The exam ended and Misaki grumpily headed out of the classroom to go into the changing room for his next class. Physical education. He wandered blankly to his destination thinking he'd be lucky if he even got a ten at that 100 item exam. He was so out of focus lately for so many reasons.

Stainless rows of locker colored in grey, greenish tiled floor and a scent of a strong cleanser wafted inside Misaki's nostrils. Wondering why girls' rest room smelled of sweet fragrance while theirs smelled like a morgue. Was it a hidden meaning that men always do sticky, messy business compared to girls?

Misaki removed his blazer, tossed his tie on the long bench and was about to remove his under shirt when he noticed his reflection against the mirror occupying the whole side wall of the changing room for the boys.

His pale skin despite him loving the sun was in contrast to the tanned body of his classmates. He gasped.

He almost forgot, he had to close his eyes._ Shit there is no getting used to thi_s, he mumbled, oblivious to the other teens changing beside him.

"Oi, oi, why do you have to close your eyes? It's so dark here," the voice complained.

Shutting his eyes harder as if it would make the voice in his head disappeare completely, Misaki grinned to himself.

"And allow you to feast on my body? No way you big pervert!" Misaki whispered like a maniac who won an argument.

Instead of Misaki's expected triumph that finally he had thrown the stupid voice in his head off of his high horse, he found himself the one falling.

"Ha? I wouldn't be interested in this scrawny body of yours young man. I want to see the others. The eyeglasses boy sitting near you looks cute."

Misaki scowled. He was suddenly irritated at what he heard and turned his back even more from the rest of the changing males into their physical education uniform. Misaki remembered so much how the stupid voice told him that the voice, whoever he was could see whatever he sees, feel whatever he touches (which includes his bodily functions too, much to Misaki's dismay), hear whatever he hears.

That the only thing the voice couldn't get a grasp of was what exactly was inside his own mind. They communicate by talking out loud which left Misaki the shorter stick since he ended up always being taken as retarded or crazy.

The voice had been inside his body for a month now. Misaki felt violated that he lost even his privacy to pee and release anything he had to release from the insides of his body. However strangely, when the voice mocks him and compares his body to others, he feels a pang of irritation towards the voice ad towards the one being compared to him.

As much as the teen didn't want to admit, the voice inside his head started to affect him in more ways than another.

* * *

It was a regular morning for Misaki one month ago. Early class and he was eating his toast as he dashed his way towards his school. As usual he was one of the students who were always late. He was really in a hurry. Running while stuffing his mouth with the toast, his eyes glanced at the group of people that had gathered at the crossing of cars and trains. Curiosity running ahead of him instead of the fact that he was sure to be getting detention this time, he shrugged and dived into the sea of murmuring people.

Built with a smaller frame compared to the rest of the males his age, the brunette found himself standing at the front without sweat. And what he saw before him mad him feel like the toast and the milk he had that morning made it's way back up his throat.

His green eyes wandered from the huge pool of stain on the train tracks before he lifted his gaze at the smashed to pieces red sports car. It was as if the red of the car and the blood was one. And the train made of thick metal stayed still with only a few scratches.

"Oh my God...did you hear the man inside the car was is still alive? But do you think he would ever live that long? I heard it was really bad...even we can see the amount of blood..."

Misaki looked at the woman beside him who seemed like enjoying the attention she was getting from the swarm of gossipers.

Misaki looked to his left and right ready to leave when he stepped on something uneven. Mindlessly looking down under his foot, he found a pen. A fountain pen that looked thousands of yen to Misaki. Sure that no one would notice him, he picked it up, swiftly stuffed it inside his pocket and went to school like nothing happened on his way.

* * *

"Takahashi Misaki, are you really testing my patience?" the sensei's voice was calm but his creepy smile was still plastered on the man's face that made many late students, male or female shivering wth nervousness.

"We're sorry Mino-sensei!" the voices echoed throughout the school grounds where the neat line of the late comers were standing.

After getting lectured out at how important being on time is for a number of times Takahashi Misaki already forgot, he went straight to the rest room first to let his aching bladder finally rest. He whistled while doing his business.

He noticed he was alone. So after his leak, he posed some looks he would never do in front of somebody else through the mirror.

"Hahaha..."

Misaki almost jumped out of his skin at the voice. Blushing, Misaki hurriedly left the rest room.

"Ah mou- and I thought I was alone. I didn't notice maybe someone was inside one of the cubicles. Argh..so embarrassing!" Misaki muttered walking towards his classroom.

The hallway was quiet and empty. A sign that classes already started ages ago. He inserted his hands insides his pocket and continued walking. He felt a little down thinking about abother day of boring classes.

"Hey, you forgot to zip up."

Misaki looked down at the front of his pants and noticed that his zipper was indeed still open.

"Ah, shoot, thanks," Misaki muttered as he hurriedly zipped his pants with clumsy fingers.

He smiled and was ready to greet another one of his thank yous when he realized that no one was beside him. He was as alone as he had been the entire time he left the restroom.

"What the..." Misaki glanced around and started walking faster. He felt a rush of chilly sensation through out his body.

* * *

Lunch came and Misaki together with his other male classmates were eager to get the curry bread pushing their way inside the messy row of underclassmen drooling at the sight of the steaming breads. Since Misaki's group was older, a lot of the students gave way for them. However, Misaki wasn't on for curry bread. He was eyeing his favorite garlic bread that seemed to have nothing but garlic inside. And so happily feeling the warmth of his bread, him and his group of friends sat under the shade of a huge Ginko tree and ate their lunch.

"Oh, did you watch the AV I lent to you last night?" a classmate of Misaki queeried as he pushed his spectacles further up his perfect nose. His name? Osaka Aoi. An honor student, athletic and adored by a lot of girls. Surprisingly he was one of Misaki's friends although they we're considered a bunch of hard-headed teens.

A dark blonde gave a thumbs up. His red neck tie, tied on his arm instead. "Oh that Osaka, I came almost thrice at just the girl's moans. Shoot that AV, can I still have it tonight?"

Osaka shook his head as he sipped into his strawberry yogurt drink. "Eh? It's Takahashi's turn tonight."

Misaki was busy shaking his tea in can when he looked at his two friends. "Oh...what?"

"Hello...we're talking about the AV, it's your turn tonight. You, whenever you get your hands on that garlic bread, you tend to sink into some hole, forgetting everything."

Misaki smiled. "Sorry sorry, anyway, Ueda can take the AV, am not interested anyway."

At the mention of such words that seemed to be a taboo in male teens dictionary, Misaki raised his hand to clear the misunderstanding. "Oi, oi, don't make assumptions in your heads! I can't watch such things since my brother goes home early and sleeps at the living room."

"Eh then ask him to join you!" Ueda suggested.

Misaki frowned and left the conversation at that. He focused his attention to his garlic bread with mouth watering. He savored the strong scent of garlic from the bread and took a huge bite.

"Hmmm...tastes soooo gooooood..." Misaki mumbled as if in heaven.

"Argh! What the heck is that taste! It's disgusting! Spit it out!" a voice ordered.

Misaki glanced around with a startled look. His eyes wandered from his circle of friends to the other students too far from them to talk to them. His mouth a little open revealing the half chewed bread inside his mouth.

"Takahashi? What's wrong?" Osaka asked concerned.

"Did, did anyone of you said my bread is disgusting? Tell the truth!"

Osaka frowned and stuffed his mouth with a chunk of curry bread before answering. "Hell no. We know how much you love garlic you'd kill to protect them. We already know that since middle school, what has gotten to you?"

"Yeah, you're acting strange since this morning."

Misaki continued chewing. "I guess I am just hearing things."

"Hell no you're not so spit it out!"

This time Misaki stood and whirled around. "Who~who's there!?"

"Calm down kid, it seems like we're in a tight situation here."

* * *

Like a frightened kid, Misaki left his two friends and went to the roof top with his legs shaking. He was totally alone aside from the water tank, and the railings and yet he could hear a voice inside his head. He must be really going crazy. There was no other explanation to it.

"Listen kid, first gargle, I hate the taste of garlic."

Looking around with his green eyes wide, Misaki grabbed the collar of his polo tight. "Where are you?! Show yourself!" Misaki demanded although he wouldn't know himself what he'd do if it was a bloody ghost.

"Wow, isn't your brain a little too slow to process things? I am inside you. I am stuck inside you to put it more bluntly," the cold voice rang inside Misaki's head.

"St-stuck?! How did that happen! Get out of my head!"

"Kid, if I could I would have done so already. You think I'd like to be caged in this...in this...is this even a body? So skinny."

Misaki scowled hearing himself being offended inside his mind wasn't the least bit funny.

"But I can't. I don't know why," the voice continued.

"HAH!? How in the world did you end up in my body anyway!?"

The wind on the roof top was strong. The sun just warm enough to make one sleepy. The sky was even a calming blue. Who would have thought that something unusual was taking place at that very normal day?

"I don't know. You were there on the crash scene earlier right? You picked a pen, and suddenlly a strong force pulled me to you. Befor I knew it, I can see everything you see, hear and taste everything you listen to and eat. And the worst of all, I could feel your inner bodily functions it's unnerving."

"WHAT THE HELL?! GET OUT NOW! GET OUT NOW!"

Misaki shouted, as he ran around the roof top his hands waiving over his head. That was a picture of a high school teen getting insane. Misaki was too shocked to hear that the voice inside him could also feel it too when nature calls him to have a room of fright inside his mind.

"Ah don't worry though, I noticed that I can't hear your inner thoughts ."

"LIKE THAT WOULD MAKE ME ANY HAPPIER! I WANT YOU OUT!"

* * *

And that was how Takahashi Misaki began living his life with a freeloader inside his body. One month has passed and Misaki just realized how bossy, arrogant and sharp tongued whoever was in him. His scowl and dreas ever increasing when it was time for him to pee or take a bath. The dude was a huge mocker.

Misaki took off his shirt to get ready for a bath. But this time he didn't close his eyes. He glanced at his body towards the steamy mirror.

"Oya? Not gonna be a girl screaming at how a pervert I am?" the voice leered.

Misaki run his hand on his collar bone and brushed it lightly.

"Shut-up, look all you want, I am checking something. My collar bone feels like its being pricked by a needle."

"You know, I just realized it, your skin feels soft to touch." the voice suddenly sounding so sensual in Misaki's head.

"HA?!" Misaki shouted in the shower, removing his own hand on his own skin. "Don't talk perverted stuff I am serious!"

"Why so jumpy? I can feel everything anyway? Comeon do your business already. I haven't seen you masterbate for a month now, are you sick?"

Misaki lost his want to take a shower and instead went out the bathroom straight to the kitchen. He had the same scowl on his face, he was cursing the perverted voice inside him in his mind.

"How could I do such a thing when a pervert such as you is residing in me! Stupid! Leave my body and I'll masterbate! You freak."

With frown on his face, Misaki opened the refrigerator. His eyes wandered through a box of fresh milk, a row of eggs, some unfinished tempura from their breakfast that morning and some raw vegetables and other items for sauteing. Misaki smiled a wicked grin. At least he knew one thing that could make the irritating voice in his head shut-up. However, if he kept on doing it, sooner or later he'll have bad breath or even develop body odor.

"Oi...what the...what are you doing?"

"YOU MIGHT GIVE ME SOME PEACE IN MY BATH IF I EAT THIS SO I'LL MAKE THIS GARLIC MY GUM!"

* * *

Misaki finally got to experience a peaceful bath as he chewed the garlic. The voice inside his head must really hate garlics to suddenly stop ranting. After scrubbing slightly, Misaki turned to attend to his thick mop of chocolate hair. He just pushed aside in his mind that somebody else also gets the feeling and warmth of his body. Every space even his brother wouldn't dare to touch, someone else he didn't know could feel it. It was embarrassing and really felt like he was allowing his self to be raped or something. But thinking about it when Misaki was serious, perhaps the voice was only pissing him off because he was lonely. Or the voice wanted to get out of his body so soon too and be back to its real body. Another strange thing. Thinking about it made him sad deep inside.

After his fulfilling shower, clean and refreshed, Misaki slumped down on his bed, ready to snooze.

"Oi...did the garlic shoo you away?" Misaki called as he stared at the ceiling.

"I'm not a vampire."

"Do you still not remembering anything at all?" the teen rolled to his side. He watched the thin curtain flutter with the soft breeze on his window. The nigh sky and the stars visible from where he was lying.

His eyes hit the study table so neat not because he was a neat student but because he wasn't using it at all.

"Nothing." the voice aswered.

Misaki slowly closed his eyes, feeling the comfort of his soft bed against his skin. He let out a small yawn and rubbed his drowsy eyes like a young child.

"Oi, are you snoozing off already? Aren't you studying? You still have an exam tomorrow right?" the voice continued.

"I feel so tired. Lately even if I am sleeping early I wake up feeling tired and my back hurts."

Like a light bulb that flashed into Misaki's eyes, he sat abruptly feeling. He placed his hands on his abs, his torso and his neck like checking himself if he was raped.

"Damn you, you are not doing any perverted stuff to me when I am asleep. DO YOU?!"

A cool laugh filled Misaki's mind. It annoyed him that when this freaking irritating voice was just laughing like he was really having fun, Misaki also finds himself a little happy. But his happiness didn't last long.

"Why would I do such things brat? I don't get a hard on even when you are washing your bum. So not possible."

"Shut-up. Pervert." Misaki scowled. The voice continued laughing an annoying laugh.

"Go to sleep now, I'll just help you out with your exam since I couldn't contain myself seeing you shade the wrong answers anyway," the voice offered.

Misaki had pulled the blanket over his body and his eyes already closed. "That's a sneaky offer. You sure you're not doing strange things with my body?"

"I told you, I wouldn't lay my hands on a brat like you. If you will get sick, I'll feel sick too so do it for my sake. Okay?"

Burrying his face on the softness of his pillow, he could smell his own hair, Misaki sleepily grumbled. "Selfish bastard."

* * *

It was two in the morning, and yet a sound of a pen scribbling over a pad of paper was clear in Misaki's room. Takahiro who happened to pass by Misaki's room from the restroom peeked into his brother's room,as he heard a paper or a page being turned.

When Takahiro slightly opened the door, he found himself looking at the back of his little brother seriously writing.

"Wow, this is the first time Misaki ever got so serious in his studies..." he thought to himself while softly closing the door being proud of his little sibling.

He just didn't know that it wasn't his little brother doing the writing and turning of pages. But the certain person trapped inside Takahashi Misaki's body.

* * *

** CHAPTER END NOTES;**

ARIGATOU! PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW OR ANYTHING^^

-shuusetsu..

-going somewhere far i think i hit my head during the ride. haha...


	2. Glimpse

sorry for the wait! ^^

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**●●●●●● Glimpse●●●●●●**

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* * *

_I wonder...why this stupid voice in my head seldom talks to me these past few days..._

The morning started the usual way it has always been. Wake up, prepare for school, water the plant on his bedroom window and head to another boring set of hours in the place he called as torture halls.

He looked in the mirror after trying painfully in vain to fix his hair. They never go the way he wanted to so giving up, he just gave it a final brush of his fingers.

He let out a yawn. _Why on Earth am I feeling so drained early on the morning when I feel like I've slept like a log last night?_

"Hoi...you there?"

Silence...

"Hoiiiii..."

_"I'm here. Doing some thinking so shut up and don't talk to me."_

Misaki watched his reflection on the mirror change into a shade of anger.

_"What is this bastard's problem? Usually he's so irritating every morning..."_

Misaki turned off the bathroom lights and headed out, suddenly pausing on his track.

_Oi...oi...me.._.Misaki squealed to himself. _Why are you bothered that he's not bothering you?! Shouldn't you be happy, idiot!_

* * *

The apartment he was sharing with his brother looked so exaggeratedly homely as his brother prepared breakfast for him. Usually it was Misaki's task but for some reason, his brother Takahiro was doing it that morning.

Misaki let his tie hang on his white polo undone as he took his seat with a curious look at his brother.

The toasts, the hotdogs, the steaming hot chocolate and the rolls of some sushi from last night were set before him. The aroma of some chicken broth was filling their entire flat with a feel of warmth and coziness.

"Nii-chan...aren't you going to be late for work? I can handle this myself," the teen mumbled as he stuffed a pieced of sushi in his mouth.

"It's alright once in a while, isn't it? Besides I know you might be tired from last night," the tall man in bluish suit chirped as he poured himself another helping of the hot chocolate drink.

_Last night?_ Misaki repeated in his head. _What last night?_

"Eh Nii-chan...what do you mean last night?" the teen leaned closer to the table. Preparing himself for an outrageous answer, like he was doing some ecchi stuff to himself in the middle of the night. The thought in itself was so embarrassing he could die but he wanted to know anyway. That way he could confront the voice in his head with proof.

"Ah...that? You don't have to be embarrassed about it. I'll just pretend I didn't see it..." the older brother answered with a meaningful grin.

_Oi...oi...what is that grin supposed to mean?!_ Misaki felt sweat forming on his hands. _Not be embarrassed? What the hell happened last night?_ He screamed with his inner self crying out in frustration.

Takahiro was just being considerate of his younger brother thinking that Misaki might just be embarrassed to admit that he was already starting to take his studies seriously. That he even pulls an all nighter the past few nights.

Misaki was so full of his wild imagination running in full throttle. Thinking how he'd give the voice in his head a piece of him.

* * *

His shoes clicking noisily on the pavement, with a couple of dried leaves crumbling down his feet as he stepped on them, despite Misaki wanting to retaliate, the silence the voice in his head was making the teen more concerned and he already forgot that he wanted to confront the pervert in his head.

To be honest, he didn't know when he started calling the voice in his head as 'pervert'. But thinking about it, it might be really mean to call a person ...or perhaps a ghost...pervert pervert most of the time.

Misaki fished his phone out of his pocket as he walked his way to his high school. Pretending to be talking to somebody else, a trick he just found out just recently to avoid looking demented. He started to talk.

"Oi...are you still there? Or you're already gone?"

Silence...

_Then he must be..._

He heard a clearing of a throat in his mind. Confirmed. The guy was still inside him. But the freaking silence compared to when the voice was nagging him at every little mistake he made was seriously getting on his nerves.

"Tell me...did you do something that is rendering you speechless?" Misaki scowled to his phone. "Like you're guilty or something?"

"Still going on about me wanting to do stuff on you? Cut it out already," the voice answered rather wearily. That was new even to Misaki who was already used to the teasing, irritating voice which have been inside him for more than a month now.

Misaki looked ahead. A group of high school students from a different school had gathered. The teen darted his eyes at the blue sky and sighed.

"You know...I've been thinking about this," Misaki started. "Ever since you started living in me, I haven't been able to ask your name."

"Even though I want to brat, I told you, I can't remember anything."

"Hmmm..." Misaki stopped from walking and turned his head towards where they came from. "Must be tough on you..."

"Oi...oi...suddenly concerned about me?" the voice chimed.

Frowning at his phone once again, Misaki huffed. "Well...what's so wrong with that! If you can't remember anything, then how will you look for your body?! I don't want to have you stuck in me for the rest of my life you know!"

The warm breeze suddenly felt cold on Misaki's cheeks. He lowered his phone, chewing on his lip. That was rather a little harsh even for him. He didn't mean it.

"Ahm...I mean..." Misaki stammered. "Just..."

"It's okay. I'm going to try to remember soon so I could leave your body in no time."

"Th-that's good to know then..." Misaki mumbled as he continued walking the few remaining blocks to his school.

Hearing that, instead of being happy like he was expecting, he felt a sudden uneasy feeling he wanted to shoo away. Everything was starting to go from weird to crazy.

* * *

The bell was ringing so loudly, filling all the buildings and halls and grounds of Misaki's school signalling the last break for the day. The classroom instantly got deserted save for Misaki who was too exhausted too even move an inch from where he was sitting. He glued his eyes outside the window, the thin white curtains softly fluttering with the gentle breeze.

It was a view of peace and calm, and yet Misaki had the biggest scowl on his face, his hand holding his mechanical pen in a tight grip.

"Hoi...you told me you'd help me with the test..." Misaki mumbled darkly. "Why the hell didn't you say a thing?"

"Grah I am definitely going to have a massive Zero on my paper!" Misaki shouted.

To make matters worse, the voice inside his head just laughed at him, sounding like he didn't care Misaki would flunk.

"I will never believe in you ever again, damn it!" Misaki blurted, burying his face on his crossed arms on his table.

"I told you I'd help you. I didn't say I'd tell you the answers. No spoon feeding here punk."

"Whatever!" Misaki once again shouted. "You are inside my body at least do something for me?!"

"Oi...Takahashi? Who're you talking to?"

The teen abruptly turned his head towards the voice by the door. It was Aoi, Misaki's eyeglasses friend; smart, good looking and sporty who for some reason was choosing to hang around Misaki and another loser Ueda.

"Ah-noone...just myself..." Misaki grinned, scratching the back of his head. "Just...the last mock exam wasn't any better than the first."

Walking towards Misaki, Aoi frowned and pushed his eyeglasses up to his nose. "I told you you should study with me and Ueda. Look even that loser got 70 out of 100, besides, Spring break is just around the corner! Be more driven you know!"

Misaki slammed his head to his table. It hurt, but he was trying to find out if the man inside him would get hurt too. He heard nothing. He cursed hiimself for doing such a stupid thing to himself.

Aoi sat on the edge of the table before Misaki's and smiled. Enjoying the breeze entering the room through the huge open windows of their rooms and the silence. There was seldom any moments of peace in their room when all the students were in it. So it was quiet rare to have this opportunity to have the room for all themselves.

"Say, Aoi..." Misaki started turning his sleepy face towards his friend and at the newspaper he was holding. "Why are you carrying a newspaper?"

"Ah this?!" Aoi waived it on air while grinning. "I am doing paper maches for my Art club so I need this. Got this from the security guard on the gates."

'You sure love collecting trash don't you?"

"There's art in trash, Takahashi! Don't underestimate this newspaper...you'll get awed by my finished product."

Green eyes wandered at the indistinct writings of the newspaper. The black and grey of it was making him sleepy and uninterested.

"Then come to our house, we have tons of old newspapers, paper mache boy," Misaki mumbled lazily.

"Eh really! That's nice! The older the better! This newspaper, would you believe, is already a year old? The nii-san in the guard house has been using this as his fan whenever it gets hot...silly..."

"One year old newspaper?" Misaki repeated.

"Yup, apparently this is from last year, same date today! See?" the teen raised the top page of the newspaper pointing out the datel,

There was another long silence that floated around them until Aoi threw the newspaper at Misaki's table. The teen looked at his wrist watch and hurried off towards the door.

"Crap, I forgot I have something to say to the student council. Hold that newspaper for me I'll get it back from you."

"Yeah, yeah, sure, it's almost about time for the next class. Hurry up or Mino-sensei...ah well, you're his favorite anyway."

"Idiot, who's his favorite here? Gotta run!"

* * *

"Ah...I wish I could just ditch classes and go to sleep! I feel sooooooo tired!" the teen grumbled.

The empty classroom, the breeze outside, the blue sky, they were all ingredients to cook a drowsy Misaki. And the wind suddenly blew stronger. The thin curtain landing full on Misaki's face. The newspaper falling of his table.

"Eh..what has gotten to the wind..." Misaki bended to pick up the one year old newspaper. He got a glimpse of a full body image of a man smiling on the old piece of paper and stared at it. "Usami Akihiko? Youngest recipient of Naomori Award?"

"Oh...don't tell me you like that guy?" the voice, which was gone for a long time suddenly talked out of nowhere.

Misaki's heart started to pump more blood in his system. He wasn't really good at being shocked or surprised at times when he was having his peace. "Will you shut-up? Looking at a guy's face in the newspaper doesn't mean I am a pervert like you okay?" he answered hotly, as he spread out the whole image on his table.

"Oh...shut-up huh? But when I don't talk, you end up pestering me..."

"You!"

The man in the newspaper was seemingly tall, considering that the other men beside him looked shorter than him. He was wearing a suit, his easy smile shining despite the old age of the newspaper. It was a colored image, so Misaki instantly saw the contrasting hues of the man's lavender eyes with his shiny, seemingly-soft silver locks.

"A picture of an achiever, don't you think?" Misaki muttered.

"Eh...looking like a two-faced bastard to me..." the voice replied icyly.

Eyes squinting as if mocking the voice inside him, Misaki started giggling. "Ow...jealous aren't we?"

"Why would I be jealous?"

"I mean, I doubt you look even one-fourth of how this man looks like. HAhaha..just admit it...you're jelly..." Misaki continued. Feeling satisfied at the sudden uneasiness in the voice inside his head.

"I don't know how I look like."

"..."

The words as if were knives diving and sinking into Misaki's flesh. Loosing memory was a pitiful thing. Not even knowing how one look like was a different story.

"Huh?"

The voice in Misaki's head sighed. "That goes without saying don't you think? I don't remember a thing, and it's not like I can see any trace of me when you're looking at a mirror. All I see is your mug and nothing else."

Misaki's grip on the paper losened and feeling like a jerk, Misaki bowed his head. "I'm sorry."

The voice chuckled. "What are you apologizing for? Stupid...ah...I can't wait to go back to my awesome body wherever it is."

The teen stared at the man in the one-year-old- newspaper, his heart constricting, his breathing getting caught up.

_"But what if there's no more body to return to?"_

* * *

The trio were eating icecreams as they made their way to their own houses after school. The sun was already about to say goodbye as it bestowed streaks of orange and pink on the road. They were typically a picture of high school students having a good time. Aoi, nagging them to study harder, Ueda, ranting on how awesome the basketball game was and Misaki, laughing at everything they were saying.

Misaki didn't know that for every word his friends say, for every laugh he gave and for every scene around them as they made their way home, the voice inside Misaki was watching them intently through Misaki's eyes.

"Ohhhh...look! Look!" Ueda suddenly exclaimed excitedly and pointed at a new arcade on the streets. "Awesome! Another place to have fun!" Ueda muttered before running ahead of them.

Sighing, Aoi scratch his forehead lightly. "Another place to make you broke is what it is! Idiot!"

Misaki laughed while finishing his icecream. He burped while tracing his fingers on the joys sticks of the crane game just out of the establishment's entrance.

"Ah that icecream tasted so good..." Misaki muttered happily.

"Oi...I don't like strawberry, next time choose something better for my tastebuds' sake," the voice complained.

"What? Why do you have so much demands when you're just a freeloader in my body?" Misaki looked deeper into the stuffed toys inside. "Anyway, what do you want?"

"Hmmm...vanilla."

Misaki inserted some coins in the game and started trying to get the brown bear at the farthest corner, frowning here and there as he manuevered the stick controller left and right.

"Okay fine, next time I'll buy vanilla."

"Huh?" the voice asked, sounding a little surprised.

"What, you want vanilla right? Then we'll eat vanilla ice cream next time."

The voice grew silent, as Misaki played the crane game. He was a shapeless form residing in a teen's body for some reason, and yet even him could feel that his lips, however it looked like was forming what everyone would call as a 'smile'.

* * *

"Tadaima!"

Misaki greeted into the empty apartment. It seemed like his brother was still not home so he decided to prepare dinner for the two of them. Leaving his shoes, he walked around with his socks still on. He placed his bag on the sofa and the huge bunny he won from the crane game.

"It was your fault for suddenly talking to me! I was aiming for the bear not the bunny," Misaki muttered as he rummaged the refrigerator for some vegetables.

"What, they're both stuffed toys anyway," the voice answered.

"Ah...I like the kuma-san! Not the Usagi-san! It's long ears irritates me, it's grin looks like mocking me don't you get it? It's a pest in a cute clothing! Rabbits are sneaky creatures!"

Getting the daikon, Misaki grabbed the blue apron hanging from the hook on their small yet bright kitchen and started washing it. "Now that I think about it...there's one that irritates me right this moment..."

If anyone would see Misaki, talking by himself, everyone would right away assume that Misaki was having some mental issues. Probably the pressure of the finals knawing at him. Nevertheless, Misaki was looking like an idiot.

"From now on, you're Usagi-san. Irritating as hell..." Misaki shouted as he raised his knife in preparation for the slicing.

"I am Usagi-san?" the voice sounded...surprised. "Why such a childish name?"

"Like you have a choice? You don't remember anything and I am tired of calling you 'hoi pervert', 'hoi pervert' the entire time. Got a problem?"

The voice chuckled softly. "As you wish."

_What the hell?_ Misaki frowned as he sliced the daikon into thin strips. _Why is he acting all so nice right now? Usually he would retort at my childishness?! Him being nice freaks me even more..."_

The plate Misaki was holding fell on the floor. The piece shattered into shimmering pieces as if falling stars landing on the ground. Misaki looked at it for a moment disbelieving. He was never an expert in kitchen but he wasn't that clumsy. He couldn't believe how the plate slipped from his fingers.

_"It was all Usagi-san's fault!"_ Misaki thought to himself. He got caught-off guard when he heard a gasp inside his head. But the moment he wanted to shout and rattle at the voice inside him, he found himself pursing his lips. Misaki swore he could hear gasping inside his head. It was making him scared. He tried to clean the shattered plate in silence, the voice in his head getting more vivid.

"Ano...Usagi-san? Are you alright there?"

"..." the voice sighed. "Sorry."

The voice didn't talk the entire night which left Misaki surprisingly, in utter worry.

* * *

_"Sensei, the last chapter of the book, when will you finish it? You've been in a slump for a long while now! What's happening to you?"_

_"It feels like it isn't you who wrote this story. It is totally lifeless. Sensei..."_

It was three in the morning. The lamp on Misaki's table was focused on the sheets of paper with his neat writing. There was a deep frown in his brows.

There was a hint of lavender hues on the emerald eyes as it stared down the paper. The ticking of the clock, the soft rustle of the trees outside made a one strong sound that filled the dimly lit room.

The man inside Takahashi Misaki stared into space as he watched through hazy vision some scenes from a distant time. Once again, he was having complete control over the body while Misaki was sweetly drifting in his dream land. "Usagi-san" buried his face on his palms. But to anyone it would just appear as Misaki burrying his face on his hands. The man couldn't see the faces and he was not familiar with the place. Everything was a blur with only the voices crisp and clear.

_"I can't do this anymore...I don't know why I'm writing anymore..."_ the hazy memory showed a man driving at the speed of light. And a blinding shock that shattered everything shook him. Next thing he knew, he was inside a thin body of a boy being scolded for being late.

_"Who am I really?" _

* * *

** chapter end notes"**

thank you for your patience and reading^^ there's more to it than that. muahahah^^

-shuusetsu:*:・(^∀^)・:*: _finally..._

"


	3. the body

hello! been a while ne? ^^

* * *

**【【【****The Body】】】**

* * *

Misaki have yet to realize it but he had developed a complete care to the stranger living in him. However, each time this faceless presence starts to talk, the only things Misaki could think were lowly, ugly, fat pervert with no life intruding his privacy.

* * *

When Misaki awoke from his sleep it was scorching hot. He could tell by the moist under his back and the dampness of his clothes that he had been sweating furiously. He tried to yawn but groan instead escaped his mouth.

_"What's this...I feel an oncoming cold..._" he thought to himself.

The faceless stranger residing in him once told him that he could feel whatever Misaki could feel. That if he got sick, the man inside him would also feel sick. However, given how the mouth of this stranger whom Misaki began calling as "Usagi-san" was, the man should have by now ranted on how careless he was on getting to be about sick. But Misaki heard no complaint.

"Oi...you there?" Misaki asked as he started to shuffle on his bed.

"Yeah, how can you even stay in bed at this hour it's nine already?"

Misaki roamed his eyes at his bright room. It was neat, and there wasn't a trace of dust in it. Even though he was a lazyhead, Misaki hated it dirty and unkept so he cleans his room once in a while.

"Usagi-san, do you feel anything strange? I mean..."

"Strange?" the voice repeated. "No, nothing...why do you ask?"

The teen after making his bed stood to wash his face. "No...I just..." Misaki thought it'd be best to just not say anything. If the man wasn't feeling anything then there was nothing to say. SO to avoid the subject he started, Misaki steered the early conversation into a different direction.

"I mean... it's just that you're acting strange lately. Like are you by any chance remembering things?"

A sudden silence filled the room. Like the lively morning sunlight had been sapped of its glory. Misaki scratched the tip of his nose before opening the bathroom.

"It's just that, you screamed last night while we're tring to prepare food like you were in pain...and you won't say anything to me."

Misaki was on the verge of going into his pity mode about the man who had no body, who couldn't remember a thing, who didn't even know how he looked like only to be snapped back to reality that he got some jerk inside him.

"Oh...what's the catch? It's creepy you're acting all so nice and shit," the deep, hoarse voice teased.

With a huge frown on his young forehead, Misaki stomped his way in the bath and ran the faucet to brush his teeth. "What the heck is your problem? Here I am getting worried about you because you're not the usual perv..."

"Oh...so you actually miss the taunting? Then I'll gladly oblige."

Misaki was about to throw a fit. Preparing in his still sleep induced brain countermeasures for the disgusting and demeaning comments this ungrateful trespasser would be throwing at him. Misaki waited and yet, it was though, the man inside his body had gone into a silent trance. As if trying to piece back his own memories without wanting to share.

* * *

_I was so close to remembering...I was almost there..._

The faceless man watched his surrounding in Misaki's eyes. Honestly, after all the times he had been cooped up inside the teenager's body, there was one thing he couldn't get used to. He wondered who on Earth would love to eat Garlic breads? It stinks, it doesn't taste good at all. And yet that was what the boy was staring at the refrigerator for breakfast.

The man somehow felt that the eyes he was using to see suddenly darknened. Or got a little hazy and he just allowed himself watch whatever the boy was doing. He had no control of this body when the original owner was conscious. It was a surprise to him when he was able to move using the body when Misaki was asleep. So far, he didn't do much about it.

"Achoo!" Usami heard the teen sneeze in front of the refrigerator.

"How disgusting could you get sneezing towards the refrigerator?" the voice muttered. In all honesty, he couldn't care less about the manners and etiquette . His concern was fully on the boy who started sniffling.

By this time, 'Usagi-san' had already realized that he wasn't good with saying outrightly what he felt. Like concerns and such stuff. And he would coat it with bad sounding words to avoid sounding worried.

"Shut up..." the teen barked, as he fixed his eyes at the bread.

"Don't tell me you're getting sick. Pay more attention to your body. I will unnessesarily suffer."

"Bastard, is that how you should treat your host?" Misaki grumbled.

The man kept silent as he started pondering things, leaving the teen stare at the refrigerator as if Misaki was deciding a grave matter on what to eat for breakfast.

_I don't feel anything wrong with his body. If he gets ill I should also feel it...anyway perhaps his nose was just itchy._

That was what the man had concluded to. However, Misaki was indeed getting under the weather. True the intruder in Misaki's body could feel any physical sensation his host was feeling; hunger, call of nature, pain, it was as if he was feeling them on his own. But, Misaki's incoming illness wasn't induced by the normal virus or germs or weak constitution. And the guest inside the fragile body has yet to know it.

"Aren't you going to eat the disgusting garlic bread?" the voice asked when he realized Misaki chose to ignore the bread after staring at it with drool on his mouth. The teen instead just took the regular bread and toasted it.

"No...it's fine," Misaki answered as he lathered his toast with butter. "You like your toast a little burned right?"

"Huh?" the man sounded surprised by the question.

"You want it burned, I said..."

"Anything's fine..." the voice answered, a little suspicious of the boy who had turn suddenly into a caring host. Not long ago this very teen had been rumbling about how he wanted him to go out of his body. This sudden treatment was high suspicious, worthy enough to think about.

Though he answered that anything's fine, Misaki started turning the toaster's temperature a little higher until the bread became dark brown, the golden brown color before had disappeared.

In silence, Misaki chomped his breakfast. The kitchen, no actually the entire flat was eerily quiet. The big brother was nowhere to be found and the usual hurry in Misaki's daily routine wasn't there as well.

"Oi, don't you have classes today?"

"What are you talking about?" Misaki asked, stuffing himself with a toast dripping with melted butter. "It's the start of the summer break."

* * *

The entire day had passed without them doing anything. The man inside Misaki just watched whatever the teen watched on television. 'Usagi-san' felt like this boy's laziness was beyond repair. Though he couldn't remember a thing from his past, the way he felt so restless without doing anything, the man could tell he probably was a workaholic. Missing sleep and meals altogether. Surprisingly, as he got to know the idiotic sides of Misaki, his host, lazying around like this felt calming and relaxing. Stupid to say, however he had come to realize that their was a fulfillment in lazying around.

The presence felt the teen sniffed again. And when he looked closely to the teen's reflection by the glass doors of the cabinet that holds the television, he saw a flicker of discomfort on the boy's face. As if the teen was having an internal fever or sickness.

_That's odd...I don't feel anything..._

"Oi...Misaki, are you feeling ill?"

The teen who was resting his back against the sofa stretched out his legs on the carpeted floor. "I feel fine..."

It was the frown on Misaki's brows the man's proof the teen was lying.

The afternoon's rays entered the living room. From morning to afternoon, Misaki just sat there lazily flipping channels through channels. After getting bored, the teen stood abruptly and head for the refrigerator. To the voice's surprise, Misaki took a gallon of icecream out. It wasn't even the icecream that shocked him. It was the flavor. He could remember Misaki loving the pinkish, artificially colored icecream called strawberry flavor. And yet in Misaki's hand was just his mindless request for a Vanilla one.

"You see, Nii-chan went to a business trip and had to leave early. I told him buy me icecream before he go..."

If the stranger inside the body of Misaki only had a form, he could clearly picture himself frowning at Misaki. He stayed silent as the teen started taking scoop after scoop of the white, cold substance in a huge bowl.

"Itadakimasu..." the teen muttered after settling back on his spot earlier. If there was a couch potato, Misaki had become strangely a floor potato.

The man could taste the sweet, coldness of the cream melt in Misaki's mouth. He really did like this flavor, however, Misaki looked like he was just eating it without thought. Or more or less, he was eating not for himself.

It struck the man inside the small body like thunderbolts had errupted in him.

"You know, I've been wondering about this but did you eat the burnt toast and this vanilla icecream...for my sake?" he asked cautiously.

The teen sighed and giggled. "Busted?"

"Yeah."

Frowning and exhaling, Misaki shoved another spoonful of the ice cream in his mouth before letting the bowl on his side. "It's because you're really strange. You grow silent out of the blue and won't talk for hours. It's...so weird of you."

"Oh my...you're actually worried about that?"

The voice went speechless to what the boy had replied to him. "You are inside me you know, I sort of have atleast the responsibility to know what's going on...and lately you sound like you're bothered! We have sort of become partners in this so I'd really get worried if you started acting strange."

The stranger was so close to telling Misaki that he saw something that might be related to his past but stopped himself. He wouldn't say a thing unless he was sure of it. What he saw anyway was just a blurr of events he couldn't yet understand. And so to calm Misaki and assure the teen, the man sighed, a sound with a hint of smile to Misaki's ears.

"The icecream tasted good..."

He knew he was already a grown man, not being easily swayed by sweet stuff the way young people would be. But Misaki's act of kindness did pull a lot of heartstrings in him.

* * *

Misaki was almost so happy that the voice started talking more again. Though this stupid voice could only manage to throw criticisms at his scrawny body when he took his shower, Misaki was fine with it than having the man inside him act like he wasn't there.

The teen plopped on his bed with his stomach flat on the sheets. His eyes and fingers busy at typing something on his brother's laptop.

"I see, so this kid here is trying to sneak into some porn site to release himself while the hardworking brother is out..."

Misaki's fingers froze on air.

"Don't you have anything to say aside from your perverted words?" Misaki scowled.

To be honest, times like these when Misaki's brother was out, the teen felt a knawing loneliness eating away at his flesh. However, that loneliness was no where to be found. Perhaps because he wasn't literally alone. If only the voice would just start talking a little sensibly then Misaki would be happier.

"But you were the one who missed it...just be honest..."

"Ero Usagi, don't make me into the likes of you! I'm merely checking an email!"

While responding to some email, the stranger didn't fail to notice the sudden picture of pain from Misaki's face. It was as if the teen was having his head cracked open. But it only lasted for a few seconds that after that, Misaki was acting as if there was nothing.

No, the voice clearly could see that whatever it was, Misaki was hiding something. He couldn't be very well sure since he's feeling fine, the body was feeling fine. There was not a single ounce of heavy feeling in Misaki's body and yet, why did Misaki looked like he was in pain for a fleeting moment. That was a question the man inside the teen couldn't get out his mind.

* * *

After the teen had tired out himself from playing so many nonsense games, it was the voice's chance of taking over.

The laptop was still on and he was about to type something when he realized the boy had his shirt rolled up to his chest from all the playing and laying he did.

"What a troublesome kid..." he mumbled before pulling down the shirt and making sure that the lower body was covered with blanket.

Being sure all was set, Misaki's fingers, now in the man's command started typing. "trapped souls"

He received tons of results but there was one topic that fired up his curiosity and interest. "Two souls in one body."

After reading the article, though the man trapped inside didn't want to believe it, he didn't have anything to counter it either. He raised his hand, technically Misaki's hand and lightly touched the soft, warm cheeks.

"I've got to get out of this body...soon...I can't let that happen..."

Suddenly he was more than willing to die than drag the lazy, clueless and yet charming kid who was even worrying about him.

The teen should be more worried about himself.

* * *

The article read:

_A body is made only to have one soul in it. There are rare occasions that a soul becomes trapped inside a body. Naturally having to host two souls, it is destructive for the body that hosts it. It will grow weak, getting sick from time to time and eventually, the physical body will face away. However, the sickness infused by having two souls are incurable. There's no accurate explanation for this, but the illness is of no physical level but more on the spiritual level._

_The body is a temple of one's being. Once a soul had been deprived of it's territory, the original soul starts to crumble thus the body as well. The only thing to saving the original soul is the second soul leaving the body and go back on its own or find a new host. If nothing's to be done, the original soul will die together with the trapped soul._

* * *

**Notes:**

hello! been ages since i updated this one ne? gomenasai! hahaha..^^ thank you for your time and support! please let me know your thoughts! domo^^


	4. Lead

konnichi wa...golden week is a blast...but not as golden...LoL (｡ ‿ ｡)

* * *

**∫∫∫∫∫∫-Lead-∫∫∫∫∫∫**

* * *

Carrying his bag that weighed a ton, Misaki started dragging his feet towards the nearest train station. His sweat was dripping from his forehead to the tip of his nose and his white shirt was completely plastered on his rather slim body. And everyone couldn't help but look at the teen who seemed to be yapping and arguing with somebody, though he was completely alone.

"I don't see the need for you to go there too," the voice muttered sternly. Obviously whatever Misaki had in his sleeves, the other occupant of his body was totally against it.

With a mischievous grin, Misaki wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "Shut up. Summer is the best season to go to the sea and go swimming. I even got a free accomodation from Aoi in an exclusive resort!"

"Swimming huh?" the voice sounded irritatingly skeptical. "And you plan on flaunting this skeleton body of yours?"

"YOU'RE SO NOISY!" Misaki snapped. And in the process, people who were going to their own vacations or get togethers turned their heads towards Misaki.

The teen lowered his head in embarrassment. If he could only punch the voice in the face, but doing so would also hurt himself so he restrained his fist.

_"Ah...mou...this bastard...I was just thinking that the sea could at least make this bastard in me happier. He sounded so low the past days..."_

Meanwhile, the shapeless form inside the teen wandered his gaze at the eyes he could feel looking at Misaki. He was really not in favor of this so-called sudden trip. He was worried that somewhere along the way, Misaki might fall into that sudden sickness. It was only for a fleeting second but the voice knew that Misaki was experiencing pain every now and then.

What if while swimming, Misaki suddenly got into one of those? And in the process die, drown or got hit by a car. Whatever, no matter how keen he would be as a watch dog for the teen's safety, he wouldn't be able to do anything. He could only watch.

"Oh...Shrimp-saki...do you really want to go?"

Misaki's hand froze even before he could swipe his train ticket to the scanner. A deep crimson on his face, Misaki gritted his teeth.

"Oi...who's 'Shrimp-saki' you're calling you moron."

There was an evil laugh that filled Misaki's mind.

"It's very fitting don't you think?" the voice sounded more and more annoying as the seconds passed by. "You're going to the sea with this shrimpy body of yours...a happy reunion with the sea creatures I am so touched."

Misaki accepted it. The voice was a genius at annoying him.

"HAH?" the teen had accidentally lost his grip on his card and he bended down to get it. "SHUT UP..." Misaki knew his body wasn't like the normal body of a boy his age, but that being shoved to his face was really annoying. Specially when the voice comments like that.

Misaki couldn't even explain but he was being rather conscious. He didn't care about what others said about him but this stupid voice could make him lose his cool.

"Are you done mocking me? Let's just see once you return to your freaking body. I bet you look like a malnourished panda."

The deep voice laughed. A laugh that sent Misaki's heart beating suddenly so fast for no reason. "Heh...you have to keep your mouth in check. You might start drooling..."

"How can you be so sure, you don't even know where your..." Misaki gasped. He wasn't planning on bringing that topic up but off his stupid mouth got ahead of him.

The voice inside Misaki's mind suddenly had become silent. And Misaki felt so bad for ruining the voice's mood. He'd rather be the voice's object of joke as long as the stranger in him didn't sound so sad and down. Misaki, despite not admitting it had grown to deeply care for the faceless man, even though the latter did nothing but to annoy him.

"Usagi-san?" Misaki softly called as he walked near to the yellow line. The JR Sobu Rapid Line was a little jammed packed that day as Misaki waited for his train to Chiba. "I'm sorry..."

"Baka...what are you so being sensitive for?"

"I didn't want to bring that up..."

"I know. Don't worry."

Even though that was what the deep voice said, the entire train ride, the voice didn't talk at all.

* * *

The sun high in the sky, Misaki's green, wide eyes stared happily at the nearing blue sea that he could see. Inside the bus full of vacationers, it was filled with excited murmurs and flashes of digital cameras. The vast horizon was shining as if there were diamonds away and the milky sand was contrasting with the blue, clear sky above his head.

Misaki pushed the glass windows upwards, allowing the sea breeze get into the bus.

"Feels great..." the teen mumbled, closing his eyes as he savoured the ticklish sensation of the breeze and the scent of the sea against his cheeks. "It's been a while since I felt as relaxed as this..."

Usagi-san, the name Misaki had given the freeloader inside him surrendered his objection with the trip and just resorted to keeping an eye to whatever the teen was up to. Though he couldn't do anything, he could at least perhaps warn him.

He didn't still approve of the trip but he couldn't say a thing anymore. Not now, when he could feel the genuine smile on the teen's face. And not when he could also feel the tense muscles on Misaki's body feeling lose and relaxed.

Perhaps Misaki wasn't aware of it, but the voice could feel the tense muscles on Misaki's shoulders. Perhaps, it was because of worrying about to persons when he should only be thinking about himself.

Misaki fished out his phone and pretended he dialled a number. This was one of his ways to avoid looking like demented. He couldn't risk talking alone when he have someone he didn't know beside him sharing his seat.

"Ne...Usagi-san...don't you like the sea?"

"I can't say I like or hated it..the only thing I know is that I don't like crowded places."

"Have you been living a boring life, Usagi-san...that's pitiful."

The voice snorted. "You think so?"

"You know...I really think that you could still go back to your body so hang in there...okay?"

"What' the sudden sentimental talk here Shrimp-saki?"

Misaki sighed and focused his eyes at the vast body of water before him once more. "Usagi-san...once you get back to your body...let's go back here together."

The voice suddenly felt a pang of guilt and a pinch of bitter-sweet happiness inside him. If he had hands that could move, he was sure he would have patted the teen's hair that was swaying freely with the breeze. For some reason he felt like there was not many people who got along with him. Or perhaps he was the one not trying to get along with everybody when he was still a normal human being.

The teen's meer words was enough to make him feel happy. He didn't have a body of his own, but surprisingly, the teen could make him feel alive.

"Usagi-san?"

"Yeah...let's go back here..." the voice sounded like it was smiling. "...together. You and me."

Misaki had unconsiously lowered his phone on his lap. The teen gulped. He was sure that his heart just skipped a bit.

* * *

"Takahashi!" a loud voice boomed out of nowhere right after Misaki had gotten his room key from the reception area. "You're so slow!"

"Rui!?" Misaki greeted, feeling happy to see one of his close friends. "Where's Aoi?"

"Aoi? I don't know, he said he was going to greet an important person who'd be staying here tonight."

Misaki and Rui who was wearing his flowery polo with the buttons undone revealing his abs started walking towards their room. The resort was modernly built. It looked like a hotel in the middle of desert only it was milky sand and vast sea that surrounded it.

The walls were covered with bamboo sticks that gave it a modern yet give off a feel of nature at the same time. It only has two stories but it was wide and spacious. The aroma of incense was prevalent everywhere in the building.

"Why does Aoi have to greet someone so important?"

"Ha?" Rui stopped from his tracks and gaped at Misaki as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Are you for real? Why do you think we got free accomodations to such an expensive resort?"

Misaki cocked his head to his side thinking. "Hmm...he won vouchers?"

"Stupid..." Usagi-san mumbled with a hint of mock in his voice which sent Misaki going stiff.

"Idiot. Aoi's family owns this resort!" Rui exclaimed. "TA-KA-HA-SHI-MI-SA-KI...how stupid could you get?" and the other teen suddenly ran to the room that the both of them would be sharing. "Faster! I wanna take a dip to the sea and mingle with the pretty ladies! Who knows I might get a girlfriend this summer!"

Misaki started walking once more. "Right, right..."

When Misaki entered the room, his bag was already there. The room wasn't that big. With two beds on both of the sides and a small table that seperates them, it wasn't furnished but gave off a relaxed feeling. It was a feeling of finally being one with nature. Nothing extravagant, just the necessesities.

"Oi, Takahashi, I love that you're the kind who can appreciate the littlest things but can you hurry up and change into your swimming trunks?"

"Ah...right...wait..."

The brunette grabbed something inside his bag and dashed towards the small door that Misaki assumed to be the comfort room. It was a little cramped but he liked the smell of the vanilla scented candle and the brown motiff of it that he didn't care.

He carefully removed his shirt and his denim pants, totally excited that when he heard again Usagi-san's voice he had to scream.

A loud pounding on the door, Misaki heaved a sigh of relief.

"Oi...Takahashi?! What are you screaming there for? Are you alright?" Rui asked while almost breaking the door.

"I'm fine...sorry!"

"Hmmf...what's that scream for?" the voice muttered. Misaki knew if there was a face he could see, it was a face of a bastard mocking him.

"I was just surprised!" Misaki hissed, putting on his black, swimming trunks.

"Oh...you're very comfortable now showing me this scrawny body?"

Misaki glared at the mirror before him, his face burning. "Like I have a choice? If I have to worry everytime I change or take a bath or whatever, I'd be totally exhausted."

The teen started fixing his hair with his fingers still with a deep frown.

"Usagi-san, I think this is unfair."

"Unfair what?"

"That you get to see me naked. I mean, I got used to it already since there's no choice but I still feel this set-up is unfair."

"So?" the voice muttered rather lazily.

"I want to see you naked too."

"Ha?" Misaki was sure he almost could hear a coughing in his mind he almost laughed.

"To be fair...!"

The voice sighed as if he just heard the dumbest thing ever. "You know...your way of talking is worse than that of an infant. I suggest you think before you open your mouth kiddo."

"What's so wrong...we're both guys anyway..." Misaki mumbled dejectedly. "I swear it's going to be my turn to comment on your fat body!"

The voice just laughed.

"Oi! Are you still there or have you flushed yourself in the toilet?"

* * *

When Misaki got out of the comfort room, he neatly placed his clothes on top of his bed and looked at Rui who was smearing sun block all over his body.

"You're paler than me Takahashi, want me to put sun block on your back?" Rui offered.

Misaki walked over to Rui's bed and sat beside the teen. "Sure...I can't reach my back anyway..."

Misaki flinched from the sudden coldness of the product being rubbed against his skin. The sensation of Rui's calloused palms from playing basketball and guitar was very clear. It tickles and it felt somehow good at the same time. Misaki sighed in comfort.

"How can you be so careless?!" the voice inside Misaki shouted that Misaki had abruptly stood from where he was sitting?"

"Takahashi? What's wrong?"

"Ah..no-nothing...why don't you go first and I'll run after you?"

Rui stood from his bed which sent it creaking for a moment. "You sure?"

"Hmm."

"Okay...make sure to lock the door and don't forget to the leave the keys in the reception. I'll wait for you outside."

Once the door had closed with a faint click, Misaki confronted the faceless man inside him.

"Why did you shout like that? You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"How can you just let others touch you so like that so easily? With even just the two of you here? Have you no sense of danger at all?"

Misaki paced the room. It was more than annoying to have to have an argument with someone he couldn't even see. It was like scolding his own self.

"What sense of danger are you talking about? Rui is my friend!"

"Just..." the man sounded desperate and pissed at the same time. It made Misaki's anger somehow decline. "Just think twice before you let others touch you."

* * *

All of a sudden, Misaki was in no mood for swimming anymore. He went out the room wearing his white shirt on and his swimming trunks, barefooted. He sighed and roamed his eyes at the hallways where young kids had been running and room service had been circling.

Through the open windows, Misaki could see the vibrant colors of the people making the beach lively. Girls in their best swim suits and boys in their chiselled bodies. Some where playing beach volleyball, some where just getting a tan and others where just like him. On lookers.

"Sorry, it was wrong of me to scold you," the voice suddenly cut off the silence Misaki was having.

Sighing and placing both his arms at the back of his head, Misaki finally smiled. "It's fine. I forgot that you must feel a little surprised since you could feel Rui's hand on you too. It was careless of me indeed."

The voice, if he had a face, he would have frowned. _"That's not it...I hate..._" the man inside Misaki followed the teen's gaze. _"I hate others laying their hands on you..._" he thought to himself.

He himself didn't know what to do with the irritation when he could feel someone looking at Misaki. Much more when they were touching the teen so casually friend or not. But he couldn't say it aloud or Misaki might pass it as a joke or another mocking.

Finally reconciled, Misaki and the other occupant inside him just watched the nature in its liveliness from afar. Enjoying the breeze that was playing and dancing on his cheeks, Misaki closed his eyes, almost feeling sleepy.

For a moment, Misaki thought he'd fall backwards. Gasping from shock, Misaki shook his head for a moment.

"What's wrong? What happened to you?" the voice asked sounding really worried. He thought Misaki was having again those 'sickness'.

"Ah nothing...I thought...I'd seen something..."

Misaki frowned and tried to remember for a fleeting second what had just happened. He was sure he was so relaxed that he was near sleeping on the spot. It wasn't the body but his soul feeling so carefree and silent that for a moment, he saw a man in a plain white behind his mind.

It happened too fast but he was sure, he saw a familiar face. Lavender eyes, silver locks, but the place was too bright and everything was white so he couldn't see anything other than that. Just a worried face of a handsome man.

_"Where did I see that face?"_ Misaki thought, scratching his head.

"Are you really fine or the heat had already fried your brains?" the voice continued asking.

"I am fine..." Misaki replied.

_"I've seen that face...I am sure of it..."_

Misaki heard a sharp clicking of shoes coming nearer towards him but he was too busy thinking that he didn't care. The figure of a man passed behind him and the teen caught a whiff of strong cologne that make Misaki's senses sharp. The teen had followed the tall man's back walking away.

"I heard the family is considering removing the life support on him..."

"Yeah...It's been almost two months but he was showing no signs of recovery. The doctors said he's just a living corpse."

Misaki wasn't all that interested and in the first place, he wasn't sure what he was hearing. Deep inside, Misaki was having a bad feeling about it.

"I insisted we wait for him to wake up, but they said he's practically brain dead. If the family decides to finally turn it off, I wouldn't have a say to it."

The teen then noticed something that fell off from the man's pocket. By reflex, he ran towards it and picked it up.

Misaki stared at the piece object he picked from the from. It was a fountain pen. Perhaps the man was busy talking to whoever it was that he didn't even heard the faint sound of the pen against the floor.

"Uhm...excuse me?" Misaki called out.

"Don't bother yourself, Misaki," the voice ordered. The man somehow didn't like the vibe around that tall man Misaki was following.

"Excuse me!" Misaki shouted.

Still not being heard, Misaki stared at the pen he was holding once more and noticed a name carved in it. Wishing that this would work, Misaki drew a deep breath and shouted. "Haruhiko Usami-san!"

As if it was some sort of a cue, the tall man with black hair and cold eyes turned and looked at Misaki.

"How'd you know my name?" the deep voice asked, closing in the gap between him and the teen.

"Uhm...eh..." Misaki stuttered for some reason. The aura around the man was a little terrifying. Someone who was used to ordering people around could emit a very uncomfortable air around them. "You dropped this..." Misaki mumbled, trying to smile though he felt like he looked like some dumb.

The man stared at the pen and the green, nervous eyes alternatingly for a moment. Unceremonously, the man in a crisp, business suit grabbed the pen from Misaki's wrist and narrowed his eyes.

"May I know your name?"

"Eh? Takahashi...Takahashi Misaki..."

"IDIOT! DON'T GIVE YOUR NAME TO STRANGERS SO FREELY!" the voice rumbled but Misaki ignored them. It was too late anyway.

"If you wouldn't mind. I'd like to treat you to some snacks for giving this fountain pen back," Usami Haruhiko offered. It would have been more appropriate if he asked with a smiling face. But the man had a poker face the entire time as if he was emotionless.

"Eh...you don't have to..."

"You're the kid in room 478 right? I'll pick you up later."

"Ha?! Wa-wait!"

The man continued his tracks oblivious to the teen's objections. And when Misaki couldn't see the tall man anymore, he sighed suddenly tired and rested his back against the walls.

"Usami Haruhiko..." Misaki muttered. "That name sounded familiar..."

Still thinking, the teen suddenly ran in the middle of the hallway as if he just realized something big.

_The guy I saw in my mind...I've seen him somewhere...I am sure of it! That one in the newspaper...Usami Akihiko, was it?_ Feeling adrenaline rush throughout his system, Misaki tried to calm himself, other wise the voice inside his head would just worry even more._ Why would I suddenly see a glimpse of that Naomori recipient at a time like this? I don't understand..._

"Oi...Misaki...don't tell me you'll go with that Usami Haruhiko man, you hardly know him," the voice scolded.

"But if it's out of goodwill, why would I refuse?" Misaki replied softly.

The voice snorted. "Goodwill? It's your gluttony taking over your head."

"What's so bad about it?" Misaki asked.

In truth, he wasn't really all that interested with the treat of snacks that was promised to him. He was having this feeling that something or somewhere along the lines, this Usami Haruhiko was something. Not to mention both of them, Usami Akihiko and Usami Haruhiko had the same last names. Plus Misaki had this sudden glimpse of Usami Akihiko as if locked in place.

And the talk about life support and two months Misaki had heard by accident wouldn't let him feel at rest.

The teen heard an irritated sigh from his mind. "Listen Misaki, don't go with that man. I don't like him."

* * *

chapter end notes:

been a while ne? hehehe...

-shuusetsu


	5. Distrust

【【【**DISTRUST**】】】

* * *

Misaki had given up talking to his invisible companion that night. The voice wouldn't talk. The voice wouldn't even give a sign that he was even listening. Seemed like Usagi-san this time, was seriously pissed.

_"I don't understand why Usagi-san antogonizes someone he doesn't even know himself. What kind of attitude is that?!"_ Misaki screamed in his head.

_"That man..."_ Misaki tugged his low-neck, black shirt with its sleeves rolled to his elbows a little higher as he watched his face in front of the mirror._ "...my guts is telling me I need to know him..."_

Misaki frowned at his exposed collar bones but he couldn't help it. It was the only 'decent' looking thing he had brought with him. He figured his black shirt would go along just fine with his washed out denims. Though somehow he looked gloomy in those clothes, but he couldn't borrow clothes from Rui or even from Aio. That was if he wanted to look like a flirt or a stiff guy, then he should.

"Usagi-san...you there?"

Nothing.

"Aww, come on! Why are you in a bad mood now...just when we're having a proper conversation earlier..." the teen looked around the room he and Rui were sharing before sighing back in front of the mirror. "Will you stop ignoring me?!"

There was a low grunt. It sounded impatient and frustrated in his mind.

"There's nothing to talk about, is there?"

Instead of being happy that the man inside him finally answered, he instead felt his heart had stopped from surprise. Or so he thought.

Lately, Misaki had started to wonder why he was feeling something odd in him once in a while. Like something in him was crumbling down.

"Misaki?" the impatient and frustrated voice had disappeared in an instant. This time, it was more like frightened.

Grimacing from the sudden pain in his chest, Misaki had to raise his hand against the wall as he tried to gasp for deep breaths. As fast as it happened, it died down in an instant.

"Misaki? Hey..."

"That sure is funny..." Misaki relaxed and grinned sneakily in front of the mirror. "That was just a joke! A joke! Were you that scared I'd die?"

"A joke?!"

"Yeah..." Misaki placed his hands on his hips like some winner. "See? You finally talked to me! HAHAHA!"

"You..." the voice sounded exasperated. "Fine...I won't say anything anymore about meeting that man. Do what you want. You're not going to listen to me anyway."

Happy that in his own way, he had managed to make the other occupant in him surrender, Misaki started humming. Saying and talking about nonsense stuff. All the while, Usagi-san, the soul in Misaki's body just silently listened to the teen's blabbering.

"He's back to his old self..." the voice thought. "But that was clearly not a joke... Idiot. What an idiot for covering it up..."

The door of the room burst out open. Revealing a tanned Rui and a haggard Aoi. Both carrying packs of snacks and drinks which were all junk. The two exchanged looks and watched for a moment Misaki talk to himself. Apparently, the teen hadn't noticed their arrival because Misaki was busy chatting to air. That was what they thought.

"Uhm...Takahashi?"

At the mention of his name, Misaki almost jumped up the ceiling from the surprise. He sure looked weird talking and smiling all by himself. _"How do I get out of this?!"_

The two teens walked in and settled on the bed across Misaki's. Both with curious eyes, it was Rui who broke the awkardness.

"Are you alright? You seem to be always talking on your own lately..." Rui asked, starting to open one of the huge packs of junk food. Aoi was still looking so tired he just nodded in agreement.

"Ah...eh..." Misaki started laughing like a idiot while scratching the back of his head. "Maybe that's what it is..." Misaki narrowed his eyes. "Lately I've been hearing some cheeky voice that always warns me about everything. Maybe it is because of the heat..."

"Cheeky voice?" Usagi-san asked.

"Don't interrupt!" Misaki cut in abruptly.

"Uhm...maybe you should get a psychiatrist or something?" Aoi asked, his chip in his hand was halfway to his mouth. For a keen observer, Misaki indeed was acting strange like he was having someone else around him. Aoi just didn't want to open it up since it would sound foolish.

Rui smacked the teen beside him and raised a thumb. "I'd say, he's just low of sodium and carbonated drinks! Come on, Takahashi...let's start pigging out!"

Misaki smiled apologetically while shaking his hands in the air for refusal. "I'll pass."

"Now THAT is weird. What the hell is going on with you?!" Rui shouted with his face in disbelief. Misaki who always pigged out with anything, though it didn't show in his body was refusing something for free?

The brunette then just decided to tell his friends what he had for that night. That some man who looked like a business man invited him for snacks that ended up as dinner given the time as a thanks. Rui and Aoi just listened carefully while munching on their chips. They were surprised but they accepted it without any qualms. Unlike someone who even ignored Misaki for a while just because.

All three heads darted towards the door when they heard a crisp knocking. Rui jumped off the bed as he shoved more chips in his mouth.

"I'll get it!"

All his smiled disappeared when after he opened the door, it was darkness that met him. He then realized that he was staring into the chest part of the business suit the man was wearing. When he looked up, he was met with a cold expression that even sent chills down his spine.

"Uhm...Yes?"

"Is Takahashi Misaki in there? Tell him I've come to pick him up," Usami Haruhiko said, or ordered. Whatever it was, his air around him was stiff.

Like a robot, Rui turned his head towards his friends and called for the one being asked. "Takahashi! Someone's come to pick you up!"

Misaki and Aoi who was busy that time tucking Rui's food away both looked at their friend. Misaki smiled in recognition and Aoi's face just turned purple.

"Ah...sorry guys," Misaki stood from where he was sitting and walked towards the door. "This is Usami-san. The one I've been talking about?"

Rui and Aoi watched Misaki and the tall man walk their way in the hall. Still in shock. Whoever that man was was really something.

"I don't believe this..." Aoi whispered.

"What?" Rui asked looking curious.

"The reason I look like this is because of that man! He's the VIP I had to meet earlier!" Aoi stomped back inside the room and jumped on the bed grumpily opening another pack of junk food. "God he's so hard to please I almost could not breath! I don't like him!"

"Eh? But just now, he looked a little gentler towards Takahashi, didn't he?" Rui asked back, quitely shutting the door behind him.

"What do I care...plus there's this strange rumor about him, I don't want to be around him even for a second..."

"Rumor? What rumor?"

"Ah.." Aoi gasped and pursed his lips for a long while. "Nothing...forget it."

"WHAT? WHAT IS IT? DON'T LEAVE ME HANGING LIKE THAT! AOI!"

Aoi glared at Rui before turning his attention back at his food. "It's against our services to customers to talk behind their backs. Just leave it."

Aoi turning serious made Rui silent. When the boy did that meant he really wasn't joking so he just resumed eating and started blabbering about the girls he met on the beach. However, Aoi wasn't listening.

_How am I supposed to say that?_ Aoi thought. _"It was just a rumor about him...about him having a strange hobby. Like boy toys_," the teen frowned, weighing things._ "It'a just a rumor...but there's a fire when there's a smoke right?"_

* * *

The hallway was empty. Carpet to silence the floors, a scent of an incense being burned from somewhere and the sounds of the sea's gentle waves from the hotel's open windows were the background of the pair's silent walk. Once in a while, Misaki would steal a glance from the tall man thinking about something to say to break the ice. But he couldn't think of any.

"Listen to me Misaki, you better not run your being dense here..." a very stern and cold voice echoed inside his mind.

"AH mou, I know!~"

Usami Haruhiko gazed at the teen walking a little behind him in a questioning look.

"Ah...sorry...I was just talking to myself..."_ Like he'll believe that? Stupid Usagi...why is he treating me like a kid?!_

They kept on walking in silence and Misaki was starting to wonder what was up with the man. It was like there was some sort of a speech barrier between them right on the spot.

"I apologize for not hearing you out earlier."

The man surprised Misaki a lot for the longest time they were walking towards somewhere, it was the first time Usami Haruhiko talked. "There are just a lot of things going on at work and in the family..."

Misaki smiled genuinely which caught the older man's attention. "Don't worry about it! I bet the world of the working adults is difficult!"

The teen felt like the barrier was slowly melting when the serious looking man gave him a faint smile.

And while all of these things were happening, the being inside Misaki that still was a stranger, was feeling something strange. Strange about the meeting, stranger about the dinner. Strange about the family thing. Everything was nothing but strange.

_"Shit..._" Usagi thought. "_Why here? Damn it..."_

Through Misaki's eyes, Usagi glared at the closed door which said VIP outside. From earlier, he thought that 'dinner' would be some restaurant or some place. The faceless being knew Misaki also thought that way. But he also knew Misaki, as innocent as he was that it could almost be called stupidity, Usagi knew Misaki wouldn't find anything strange with it.

"Oi, Misaki..."

But Misaki refused to answer not wanting any more suspicious looks from his companion. Usagi was left restless for if anything happened, even if push came to shove, he couldn't protect the boy. That moment, the voice realized why he so much hated the man. It was because he could smell the blood of a man eater.

Even though he had no memories whatsoever, he knew, he could feel and tell right away that he and that Haruhiko were the same.

The difference was Usagi-san didn't go out with just about anybody. But this other man whom Misaki was so trustful of smelled the opposite.

The door opened with a sharp click and Haruhiko pushed it, giving a soft creaking sound, leading the teen to come inside first. Misaki was surprised at what he saw. Compared to their plain room, this VIP room was themed. It was decorated same as those he saw on western lifestyle magazines. Modern, slick, and cold.

"I asked the restaurant downstairs to bring the food here, is that okay?" the man asked as he watched the teen's head look around excitedly.

"It's okay...that's not a problem...anywhere's fine. After all it's me being treated!" Misaki muttered, eyes gleaming from the glittering chandelier above his head.

"Anywhere's fine huh?" the older man whispered with a faint smile as he closed the door behind, locking the door softly Misaki didn't even notice it.

* * *

The food was enough to make one drool. The roast chicken was golden, juicy and tender. And even the other dishes made Misaki extremely happy. He and Haruhiko both ate in silence as they savoured and enjoyed the exquisite tastes of the food made by a genius chef.

When the desert reached Misaki's plate, that was when the teen started becoming more and more casual with the man before him. Misaki became more talkative and nosier than he should be. That was because the teen hadn't forgotten yet why he even agreed for the invitation in the first place.

That night, it was Usami Haruhiko as the host, serving Misaki the dessert and other helpings of the dishes before them. So Misaki stared with a little concern when he noticed that it was only his plate with a slice a thick in syrup, strawberry chocolate cake. It was enough to make one drool and yet, Usami Haruhiko didn't put any on his plate.

"Uhm...aren't you going to eat?" Misaki asked, stabbing the strawberry first with his fork.

Wiping his mouth with the cloth tissue gently, the man smiled before answering the teen. "I am not a fan of sweet stuff, here..." he extended his arms on the huge whole cake in the middle of the round table and scooped out more strawberries out of it. Placing it carefully on top of Misaki's plate, he looked satisfied already.

"Weird...I also know someone who doesn't like strawberries much..." Misaki mumbled aloud.

"Excuse me?"

Misaki stuffed his face with a huge slice of the cake, before talking. "Ahaha, nothing...I was just thinking to myself...by the way, Usami-san..."

The teen acted his best as possible not to look suspicious and he then took a sip of the water beside him to gather more courage. Alright, this is the time to do the interrogation...

"You're not here in a vacation with your family?" Misaki asked thinking that would be the best and the least suspicious question he could ask without sounding like he had some snooping off to do. "You know, my brother wanted to come here too but wasn't able to come here due to work," he also added to make it sound more conversational.

The mentioning of the word "family" made the other man lose his faint smile. It seemed to Misaki that Usami Haruhiko was not very fond of his family.

"No, I'm not. I'm here on a business," Haruhiko answered without removing his eyes from the pair of green ones screaming with utter curiosity. "My family is in shambles right now, so to speak..."

"Eh? I'm sorry..."

"It's not like you have anything to do with it in the first place. No need to apologize," Haruhiko smiled at the sad face the teen made which made him more curious too. "You have a brother I see...I have one too..." he trailed off.

_Oh my God! This is my cue! This is it!_

Misaki stuffed his mouth with a strawberry first and gulpe it down almost not chewing it properly. "Brother? Do you...mind me asking what's he like?" The teen laughed at himself. "You see my big brother is so protective that it annoys me sometimes...but he's really a great guy. I look up to him..."

"You seem to really get along well," Haruhiko muttered, pouring himself a little vintage wine. "My brother is in the hospital right now, got himself into an accident and we don't know when he'll come around."

"Uhm...accident?"

"He drove right to the train and car crossing and made a wreck of himself. The investigators are looking into the angle of suicide...and the relatives on the other side of the family is being adamant on removing the life support on him. Akihiko...he's announced brain dead one month ago."

Misaki was about to stuff another strawberry in his mouth, but the last sentence froze his hand on air, the strawberry fell on the table and bounced on the floor.

"Ah! I'm...I'm sorry...sorry..." the teen bended from his seat, reaching out to the strawberry.

It was maybe because Misaki wasn't intending to do anything like it which made the appeal stronger. For when Misaki lowered his upper body to reach it, his low neck shirt just exposed his chest area, strangely looking delicious with the chandelier above their heads.

_Akihiko...I knew it...the Naomori award recipient...that face that flashed inside my head earlier..._

"It's me who has to apologize...I made you listen to such awful things..."

Usami Haruhiko gazed at the disturbed face of the teen. He was more shocked with himself for blabbering about his personal life with a boy he just met. It was hard for him to talk about it even with his closest friend, their butler but with just one question, this Takahashi Misaki managed to make him say it.

It seemed like this young man before him, had a knack for making people comfortable to the point of getting others speak up whatever.

Misaki carefully placed the soiled fruit on his plate. " Can I excuse myself for a minute? I'll wash my hand..."

"Sure, go ahead."

* * *

The moment Misaki had closed the frosted glass door of the washroom, Misaki sat on the top of the toilet lid and clasped his shaking hands together.

_I'm so stupid...where have I been looking all this time? How can I overlook something important? How can I forget where everything had started?_ Misaki drew a deep breath, his head throbbing, his blood rushing as he tried to connect things one after another._ Everything started when I tried to look at that accident near the school...that train crossing and that red car...how the hell did I forget about that..._

"Usagi-san...Usagi-san?" Misaki muttered, his soft voice echoing through the tiled walls. "Listen...I think...I think..."

"Are you taking me for an idiot?" the man inside Misaki asked in a strange voice. "Do you seriously think I don't know what you're thinking? You're thinking that me and that suspicious looking man are brothers?" he asked sarcastically. "Misaki I appreciate you doing this for my sake, to know who I really am but you're crossing the line here."

"What crossing the line?! If you were really the Usami Akihiko, his brother, then there's a possibility of you not being able to go back in your body. Did you not hear him? Some of that man's relatives are wanting the guy out of life support!"

The sigh Misaki heard was long and deep that the anger in him started slipping off. "Sorry..."

"Misaki...you've come this far and this is enough. So...don't ask that man anymore questions...okay?"

"But..."

"Once we get back to Tokyo, we can search anything about this Usami Akihiko. Hearing the name feels strange but I'd like it if the both of us look for the answer instead of involving yourself with another stranger."

Misaki frowned. "'Another stranger'?" Misaki asked sounding sad all of a sudden. "You're not a stranger to me anymore Usagi-san...don't say that."

"Alright...alright...I'm sorry. So Misaki, if I am not a stranger to you any more, listen to me. Excuse yourself after this. Get back to your friends and rest. We already have a lead to who I might possibly be, and that is already enough. Don't...don't endanger yourself for my sake...I am extremely worried."

Hearing the last words made the teen go stiff for a moment. He shouldn't feel fluttery and nervous by hearing those words. If he was a girl then that might be a normal thing to feel hearing those words from a man. But he's a man himself. Closing his eyes, Misaki lowered his head and slowly opened them, fixing his gaze at the patterned tiles.

_This...this is bad.._.Misaki inhaled and exhaled for a few times. _There's no way...there's no way to like someone without actually seeing them physically right? No way...I'm just...concerned...concerned..._

"O-okay...we'll go back Usagi-san...sorry for worrying you."

* * *

When Misaki came back to the table, he noticed Usami Haruhiko had poured him a glass of wine. It looked bloody red in the glass. Classy and mysterious.

"Are you alright? You took a rather long time in there," the man who was sitting comfortably on his seat asked, his hand gently swaying the wine glass with his hand, swirling the wine inside it.

"Ah yeah, I am fine," Misaki sat on the chair and looked at the glass set before him. "Uhm...Usami-san, I figured it's getting late so...I am thinking if I can go back to my friends now? I also feel a little tired..."

Haruhiko placed his glass down and smiled at Misaki. "Sure...of course...but why don't you try first the wine I've served you? It's a gift I got from a friend who went to France. Take a sip."

"Err..." Misaki looked at the glass and at the man. "I...am not yet allowed to drink..."

"Don't you dare touch that glass," the voice inside Misaki warned.

"I see, what on Earth am I offering an underage? Sorry about that..." Usami Haruhiko smiled apologetically at Misaki.

The teen looked so much troubled at the sadness he saw in the older man's eyes. What if he was just really lonely? Businessmen with family problems have very high rates of committing suicide.

Besides...if this wine is really bad...he should have insisted on me drinking it. Instead...he gave up right away...

The teen grabbed the glass with one hand and grinned at Haruhiko. "I guess you're right Usami-san...a sip is not of a big deal. Besides...it's rare for me to be able to taste an expensive drink like this!"

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!" the voice roared. "PUT THE FUCKING GLASS DOWN MISAKI!"

_It's okay...I won't get drunk wth just a sip.._.Misaki ignored Usagi-san and off he chugged down the contents of his glass thirstily. He was just planning to take a sip but it tasted smooth in his throat.

"Whew! That...that was really good Usami-san..." the teen exclaimed, his eyes twinkling at his glass.

"I'm glad you liked it," the man replied, standing up from his seat. "Then I'll walk you to your room."

Misaki stood abruptly. "Oh you don't have to! I'm perfectly fine!"

"Then at atleast allow me to see you to the door."

Misaki smiled happily at the man and started taking energetic strides towards the door. Holding on to the knob, Misaki turnd his head once more at his host for the night and thanked him gratefully.

"Thank you for the food Usami-san. I really enjoyed it."

"Me too..." the man answered back.

The teen grabbed the knob tigher, but he found his stenght slipping away.

_Huh?_

And slowly, Misaki slid down the floor.

"Misaki? Misaki?! Oi!" the voice shouted as Misaki completely slumped down the carpeted floors.

* * *

"DAMN YOU! GET YOUR HANDS OFF HIM!"

As much as the man inside Misaki screamed, there was no use to it.

Usami Haruhiko had carried Misaki towards the bedroom. Laying Misaki on the bed carefully, the other man pulled his tie lose and sat on the edge of the huge bed. He carefully watched Misaki's entire face. Eyes, half open completely in a daze. Lips that were parted slightly with a trace of saliva dripping down the corners of the teens mouth.

Usami Haruhiko had slipped something on Misaki's drink. It wasn't a sleeping drug. It was more like a drug that can cause partial hallucinations. The boy would be half conscious, half seeing things he wanted to see. What was the fun of attacking an unconsious prey to begin with?

"FUCK...FUCK...DON'T TOUCH HIM..."

Slowly, like how an expert culinary tester, Haruhiko lowered his face towards Misaki's. He didn't kiss, he didn't touch. It was more like sensing every trace and every scent Misaki had.

There was nothing more torturous than watch with his very own eyes what was being done to the body he was stuck in. More than disgust it was utter hatred not for the attacker but to himself. For as much as Usagi-san wanted to protect and save Misaki, he could only watch helplessly.

It was the first time the voice hoped deeply within his very core that Misaki completely passed out. That the teen would just fall into a deep and long sleep so he could take over Misaki's body and hit the bastard and beat him to a pulp.

But Misaki was just half unconscious, leaving Usagi-san immobile.

* * *

Misaki's eyes still in a daze, Usagi-san felt the searing chill that ran out to his very being when Misaki moaned. The teen moaned just because the other man traced Misaki's neck with his index finger.

The sound of low whimperings, and slow, deep gasping was enough to make anyone entertain indecent thoughts. For Misaki was unconsciously inviting.

"Misaki, I am begging you...do you hear me? Misaki?!"

The creaking of the bed and the rustle of fabric sounded loud and clear. And the sound of Misaki's belt being unbuckled sounded even fiercer.

"MISAKI? PLEASE...FALL ASLEEP...GO TO SLEEP!"

The want to take over and the anger boiling into one made a very strong sense of defiance in Usagi-san. The want to protect but couldn't. The want to save but couldn't. All these emotions blurred into a hazy one and in return made the possessive occupant within Misaki rage in anger.

The anger was strong enough to forcefully shun Misaki's dominance over his own body, throwing him in the abyss where the voice usually lingered. And taking over the dazed, about to be molested body, Misaki's half open eyes grew wide. It was no different than a ghost possessing someone.

"Get off."

Shocked, Haruhiko stared for a moment at the teen who was glaring at him. The gentleness in those green eyes weren't there and instead, it looked like a raging beast about to go amock.

"Fucking get off."

Haruhiko was left wondering what was going on. And shocked he watched Misaki stood from the bed in menacingly, hurried movements towards the door. The voice was trying his best not to be violent but the moment he touched the knob and remembered how that possible brother of him just went and drugged the innocent kid, the last sensible thread in him finally snapped and he dashed towards Haruhiko and punched him hard on the face.

"Sick bastard."

* * *

Having sudden complete control over Misaki's body, Usagi-san walked out the door and took slow steps towards the teen's real room. It was probably 11, there was no other soul he could see. With deep breaths, the man tried to calm his senses. He was seriously pissed. He was seriously mad. And he seriously was hating himself for not being able to take action as soon as he wanted.

He could feel the beggining of the hotness in Misaki's eyes. It was him wanting to cry out his frustration. He was the number one person who wanted to protect the teen and yet, he was the weakest one. He really wanted to get out and be a flesh and blood. So that he could take on anyone who was trying to harm Misaki.

The moment he opened the door to 478, Rui and Aoi were still awake, watching some Adult Video through a laptop.

"Oh...Takahashi? How's the 'date'?" Rui joked.

But the teen being questioned just walked straight into the bathroom without looking at the two.

"Takahashi?" Aoi muttered, concerned and thinking whether the rumor was made true on his friend. That wouldn't let him rest in peace, knowing that there was such a rumor and he just let his friend go like that. So Aoi in his pajamas jumped out of the bed and knocked at the shower room. The sound of the running shower was prevalent.

"Takahashi...it's me Aoi..."

No one answered.

"I'm just really worried...did..did something bad happen? Please tell me..."

"No. Nothing happened. I'm just tired," a muffled voice answered. "Really, nothing to worry."

"I see...sorry for interrupting."

* * *

Usagi moved Misaki's body into the hot running water. He removed Misaki's shirt hurriedly down to the last clothing and washed the teen's skin frantically. If anyone was watching, it would just look that Misaki was taking a rather thorough clean up of his body. But it was the man inside the teen wanting to remove the damn traces of that Haruhiko.

He wanted to erase the scent of the man that lingered on Misaki's hair. And as if scrubbing Misaki's skin would remove the caressing done, he washed Misaki's neck and arms with the soap.

_How dare he...how dare he...damn it...kusso..._

Slowly, Usagi-san turned to look at the full body mirror foggy with the shower. In turn, it was Misaki's body that did the looking.

"Misaki...I'm sorry for forcing you out...I just had to..."

Usagi walked towards the mirror and touched Misaki's reflection on it with his hand. "I just really couldn't stand it...I'm sorry..."

The man smiled sadly, in turn it was Misaki's face that looked pained.

"You know why? Because I have fallen in love with you..."

There was no answer. Misaki was completely asleep, his consciousness gone.

Water dripping from Misaki's hair, Usagi sighed. "Let's find out who this Akihiko is once we get back, whether he's really me or not...I need to get out of this body of yours soon...really soon..."

More than the fright of Misaki getting involved from the fate of dying if he wouldn't leave Misaki's body, it was more the fright of what he could do with Misaki.

He was beginning to feel strange. He loved the kid and naturally he would want to touch him. Touch him like the sick bastard earlier did. But doing it without the teen knowing, it wouldn't make him anyless of a monster than that Haruhiko.

* * *

**chappy notes :**

**thank you for your time as always and please share your thoughts.^^**

yaho! muahaha...sorry for the delay..i am quiet busy with drama cds uploading and translating...^^ oh if you're interested with this hobby of mine and wants to listen (with HEADPHONES)

JUST VISIT : mainichiyaoi -dot- tum blr -dot- com^^

so far i have posted smex parts of Sekaiichi, Junjou romantica, among others^^

-shuusetsu


	6. Release I

yahooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

* * *

**【【【****Release 1】】】**

* * *

_"Huh? Where...is this..."_

It was foggy and all white. It wasn't cold but he could feel his skin crawl. He looked around and it was just an endless horizon ahead. Misaki could feel as if he was floating but he wasn't. And since he was feeling all kinds of feelings at the same time, Misaki raised both his hands to his face. And to his surprise, there was none.

_"Oh my God...what...what the hell is going?!"_ gulping, Misaki whirled around. Or maybe swished around? He wasn't really sure. All he was very certain was he was there but he wasn't.

_"U-usagi-san?_" Misaki called softly but he heard no voice coming out of his throat._ "Usagi-san?! Is this a dream? This is a dream right? I mean...I was just about to leave that VIP room..."_

The teen, or at that time, an invisible being started walking. He walked and walked to the endless white space. He walked and gathered all his courage. He had already experienced so many weird stuff in the world for the past months that this was nothing to be surprised of. Sure he was afraid. But if this was a bad place, shouldn't it be colored black instead? But what he could see was pure white so he could just believe that everything was going to be fine.

Not far from him, Misaki caught a glimpse of something shining. But when Misaki was already a few distance from it, the brunette had realized that it wasn't the pot at the end of the rainbow but a mirror. But Misaki's jaw almost dropped to the smokey ground when he stood in front of it, it was a comfort room he saw. Of all the things in a dream...why bathroom?

_"What the...this...this is our bathroom at the resort..._

Misaki almost shoved his face to the plain mirror before him. But it was like a clumsy camera as he watched the shower be ran. Misaki almost squealed at the sudden rush of water that he felt on his skin. But Misaki knew there was no water.

_"Oi...oi...oi...this is really weird. This is really wierd...what-"_

"Kusso...Damn it. Damn it...damn it..."

_"That's my voice isn't it?"_ Misaki asked as he stared at the mirror reflecting the bathroom he was using earlier. But contrary to his voice that sounded mostly lively and annoyed at some point, the voice he heard was of someone really angry at the time. Misaki was so surprised to hear his voice sounding like that.

"I'm sorry Misaki..." the teen heard his own voice amidst the pelting shower on the tiled walls and floors.

As Misaki was watching the flowing waters on the floor, the reflection changed abruptly and before Misaki knew it, he was seeing himself in front of the whole body mirror of the bathroom. Naked. Naked and dripping wet.

_"Oh my god...what...what...why am I naked?!"_ Misaki shouted at the mirror.

It was a long while that the Misaki on the reflection of the bathroom mirror just stared emptily. Even Misaki in that nameless space grew tired of shouting and yelling about what was going on. Tired, Misaki stopped screaming and just chose to watch whatever was going to take place. It seemed like he had no control anyway.

"Forgive me," the young yet more mature sounding voice echoed into the teen's mind as he watched.

That was when all buttons clicked and bulbs started lighting into Misaki's mind. He knew right there and then that the one controlling his body, the one taking the freaking shower, was the stranger inside him. The guy he called Usagi-san. But instead of being mad at being kicked out of his body without knowing why, he for some reason was more concerned about the pain in the voice. It was his, but the pain wasn't.

_"Usagi-san...why is he apologizing...?_"

Through the weird mirror, Misaki could see his own hands tremble as if the one in control was staring at the soap for a while. That was when Misaki realized something. He's going to be bathe. Bathe by someone else. Sure he knew that doing those stuff, the stranger inside him could see and feel it. But it was all a different matter even if it was his own hands doing the washing. For Usagi-san, despite sounding really angry, was being gentle that Misaki felt goosebumps running all over his skin.

_"Uwah...this is so..._" Misaki knew if he could see his face, he knew how red he must have been. The mirror in front of him wasn't reflecting him but a window to the outside world. At least that was what Misaki called it. He was locked in a place he assumed was the stranger's and the stranger now was controlling his body.

He couldn't remember anything after his collapse. So the question why Usagi-san was having the control over his body, why the stranger sounded strangely mad as hell yet being gentle with washing him was all a blur that led Misaki to a confusion. Not to mention the weird feeling he was having.

_"It's my own hand..."_ Misaki thought as he felt the hand with soap rub his neck gently. _"But it feels so different...I don't...I feel weird..."_

"Misaki...I'm sorry for forcing you out...I just had to..."

_"You just had to...?"_ Misaki asked in thought.

"I just really couldn't stand it...I'm sorry..." through the mirror, Misaki saw how his head had lowered into a bow. But it looked strange. It was him alright. The brown hair, the fair skin, the body he called himself thin but to some would call as slim. Every physical aspect was him. And yet he could tell by the aura that it was just the shell. For inside was a completely different person taking over. And once more, through the mirror, Misaki only saw his mouth gritting his teeth.

"You know why?..."

Misaki gulped.

"...Because I have fallen in love with you..."

The sound of the shower, the warm breath fogging the mirror, the awkward silence of "Usagi-san", everything was oblivious to Misaki as he stared blankly at the mirror. This time not seeing the bathroom, not seeing himself, but seeing a face of a stranger standing before him.

It was a stranger. But as he caught a glimpse of the silver locks mainly hiding the entire face of the man, Misaki felt within him that this man wasn't a stranger. He, whoever he was, has a space in Misaki. And before Misaki felt the sickening feeling of being flushed out of a dizzying tornado, Misaki knew, it was 'Usagi-san'.

"Hey...Rui...did you hear that?" Aoi asked pausing the porn video they were watching.

"Hear what?" Rui repeated, changing his position from lying on his stomach to sitting.

"Something that crashed..."

Both teen stared at the laptop screen where a girl giving off a service to a man was in pause, and both eyes widening, they ran towards the bathroom being used by their friend Takahashi.

"Takahashi? Takahashi?!"

* * *

When he opened his eyes, his eyelids felt heavier as if someone was trying to keep them shut. His body felt so heavy like there was someone weighing him down. All that Misaki could do was listen to the faraway sea waves that sounded as if it was just under his bed.

"Are you alright?"

Once again, Misaki heard that familiar, deep almost hoarse voice in his mind that Misaki almost found himself cringe. The rush of events, or perhaps his weird and out of this world dream came flowing down on him like a water fall. The hands washing him gently, the anger in that voice and most of all, that confession.

_"Wait! Was it even a confession?! I don't know what's the dream and the reality anymore! Mou!"_

"Misaki?"

"Just...I feel so lethargic..." Misaki mumbled softly. Afraid that his roommates might hear him. Aside from the sea waves, he could faintly hear a soft snoring across the room he was in.

"Usagi-san...what happened last night? I don't.." Misaki paused as he rolled to his side, facing the open window displaying the faint blue of the opening of a new day. "I don't remember anything, how did I get here?"

Misaki felt bad lying. But he wasn't 100% lying was he? In all honesty he couldn't really remember how he got from Usami Haruhiko's room to his own room. But the 'don't remember anything' had a little lie into it. Misaki knew perfectly what happened inside the bathroom last night. He was all embarrassed to be touched by his own hand yet it felt different. And what was throwing him the most out of his loop was the so called 'confession'.

But there was no way Misaki would say he remembers that. What does a person do anyway when he was confessed to by another guy? On top of that, they were in a weird situation. Nothing between them was normal. Although that was the case, just thinking about the bathroom scene was making him feel hot. And he knew that he was beginning to be weird and turning 180 degrees from the norm.

"You collapsed because you drank the entire glass of wine and crawled your way here. That's all there is," the voice answered sounding odd.

The stranger in Misaki decided that it would be best if Misaki didn't know that he was about to be molested last night. Such event would just break the teen's heart and taint the innocence he have. Besides, although Misaki's trust was almost unbelievable, Usagi-san didn't want to see a change within Misaki just because of that.

The important thing was nothing happened. Misaki was still innocent and pure and he could remain just like that. Although to the man, just remembering those hands crawling all over Misaki gave him the chills, he just had to forcefully shut them off his head.

* * *

"Misaki..." the voice called.

But the teen was too much occupied with his own thoughts he didn't pay attention to Usagi-san or what he was currently doing.

"Oi...Misaki..." the voice called out once more, this time laughing a little. Sounding so much amused.

Still in a daze, Misaki with his unfocused eyes stared at the mirror. He was preparing himself for the day. Although a little earlier than what was planner, Misaki had decided to come back home and start their search. After all, he got only less than a month before summer break ended and it would be more difficult to do searching once classes resumed.

"Misaki...I really don't want to break your blissful daze, whatever you're thinking there..."

At the word 'blissful', Misaki's ears perked up and he could feel blood rushing to his head. He, no matter how much he tried to avoid it, he kept on replaying, or his mind kept on replaying that confession scene like he couldn't get enough of it.

"B-blissful?! What the hell are you saying so early in the morning...pe-pervert!" Misaki shouted inside the bathroom, holding his toothbrush in one hand.

"What are you REALLY thinking something so indecent in the morning? Your face is flushed."

"Sh-shut up!" _Why am I the only one being flustered here? I wasn't the one who confessed but this jerk is acting all so natural! Pisses me off!_

"Well, I was just trying to warn you that unless you wanted to grow hair on your gums, then don't shove that toothbrush in your mouth," the voice mocked.

"What?!" Misaki screeched.

The voice sighed. "I don't know what has gotten you so preoccupied but look closely, it's shampoo on your toothbrush and not toothpaste."

Misaki's eyes grew wide. Raising his hand closer to his face, he sniffed the brush and confirmed it. The shampoo for growing hair faster. It was Rui's though. He said he wanted to have a long hair to the point where he can pony tail it. According to him that would make him cooler.

"Damn it..." Misaki frowned as he washed his brush.

"Misaki...you're really acting odd since the morning you woke up...do you have a problem?"

_Why? Why is it just me?_ Misaki thought, his chest constricting he wondered if Usagi-san could feel it too. _I don't want this anymore..._

"Misaki? Oi."

"Shut up!" Misaki screamed at the mirror before the sink. "HAVING YOU INSIDE ME IS A NUISSANCE!"

For a moment, heaving Misaki just stared at the mirror. It came off out of his mouth just like that and it was too late to take it back. The words slashed into the bond they had started and Misaki watched in horror as the impact seared its way in. Those may be his words, but though those words were exactly what he meant, it wasn't because the stranger in him was a nuissance or something. He just couldn't say it to straighten it out.

"U-Usag-"

"I knew right from the start anyway you don't have to go shoving it to my face."

Misaki's grip on his toothbrush loosened and it fell into the sink, being washed out continiously by the running water from the faucet.

"No...That isn't what I meant you know..."

"You're so eager to know who I am because you're tired of having me."

Misaki's eyes drooped, his shoulders sagged. It wasn't really the reason. In truth he really wanted Usagi-san out of his body for a different reason but the way he shouted earlier clearly created a negative conclusion.

"I'm sorry..." Misaki mumbled, staring at his own eyes through the mirror, hoping that the weird mirror last night would reflect how sorry he was towards the man.

"I think we really do have to get to this Usami Akihiko soon, so you could have your peace back."

Misaki bit his bottom lip as he looked down on his barefeet. "Yeah...we should..."

The heaviness Misaki felt in his chest was enough to make him so gloomy despite the good weather outside. He had finished packing and was ready to ride the bus back to the train station. And Usagi-san hasn't spoken a word after that, not even once.

_"It wasn't that...How could I say it? There's no way I can..."_ Misaki's brows furrowed deeply. _"Remembering last night...I'm starting to feel weird and I'm sure...so sure that I'm heating up...And I don't want you to know that!"_

Misaki took his sneakers and slowly put them in. He wouldn't be able to say it. No way in hell. How could he tell the stranger in him that Misaki wanted him out as soon as possible because his body was reacting weirdly just because of a simple voice and remembering the weird set-up the last night. Not to mention, Misaki had never paid much attention to it but now, he was all conscious that whatever he was doing, the man inside him could see it. Suffice to say he was almost like being watched 24/7.

Embarrassed and humiliated at how much sensitive he was, Misaki sighed deeper than the sea outside the hotel. _"I'm getting turned on and if you don't go out...I don't know what kind of my self I'd show you...How could I say that..._"

Why...I turned really weird...this whole set-up has turned me into something weird. The teen walked towards the window and looked towards the horizon. What's weirder is that I don't hate it.

* * *

"Usagi-san..." Misaki called as he tried to sit on the train near the window. But the voice didn't answer.

For the first time in a couple of months they've been literally stuck together, they had their first serious misunderstanding on both sides. They weren't wanting to be free of their situation for selfish reasons. But because they had started to cross the line of friendship and bond.

However, though Misaki thought that the problem would be solved if the stranger finally get to be released from him, he didn't know that in the future, it would just be a bigger blow.

* * *

**chapter end notes:**

hi everyone!thank you for the time reading and ah...Release II. hahahaha...i wanted to do it now but i felt suddenly tired from reading Yaoi Novels...so..the 2nd part maybe posted before this week ends...or maybe earlier...depends actually...hahaha  
-please share your thoughts^^

-shuusetsu


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